TRAINING ANTI-ISIL FIGHTERS
Canada’s options for a ground-training mission in Iraq include putting regular forces into the country to instruct troops or overseeing the creation of a Kurdish special forces unit to battle ISIL.
The Liberal government has come under fire for sticking to its plan to withdraw aircraft from the war against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to boost the contribution of military personnel training Iraqi forces. Canada currently has up to 69 special forces soldiers in northern Iraq instructing Kurdish fighters.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan told the Ottawa Citizen that options involve both special and regular forces.
REGULAR FORCE TRAINING IN IRAQ
Iraq Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari said in September his country doesn’t want foreign ground troops to fight ISIL. But he said Iraqi troops need to be trained.
He said Iraq needs help with logistics, troop training and reconstruction. It also needs equipment, he said.
Over the years, the Canadian Army trained Afghan troops, developing a reputation and skill for such missions, Sajjan said.
The drawback, according to some officers, is that it could take the Canadian Army up to seven months to field a significant training unit to Iraq.
Also, Iraq’s military is plagued with corruption and poor leadership. It has at times fled from ISIL forces, abandoning hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S.supplied equipment on the battlefield.
INCREASED SPECIAL FORCES
TRAINING
Canadian special forces continue to train Kurdish troops in northern Iraq. One potential new mission could involve personnel overseeing the creation of a Kurdish special forces unit. The Kurds do not have such a capability, which could be used for quick strike raids and covert operations against ISIL.
Members of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment in Petawawa, Ont., have trained Afghan special forces so such a mission would be familiar to that unit.
The drawback? Kurdish troops will not venture outside the boundaries of their traditional territory; they will not take the fight against ISIL to other parts of Iraq.
SPECIALIZED TRAINING: ENGINEERING, COUNTERING IEDs,
INTELLIGENCE
Special forces and regular troops both could provide this instruction. Iraqi forces have faced a significant threat from improvised explosive devices. Canadian personnel built expertise dealing with IEDs during the Afghan war.
In addition, ISIL has built robust fortifications around the cities and towns it holds. Iraqi troops could benefit from the expertise of Canadian combat engineers in learning how to breach such fortifications.
In the wake of the Paris attacks, the U.S. is trying to persuade European and Arab nations to step up with resources for the ground war against ISIL.
Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week Arab nations in particular could make a valuable contribution. “They would have the credibility and, frankly, come without some of the baggage of western forces to be on the ground,” he said.
Former U.S. secretary of defence Leon Panetta told NBC on the weekend the coalition bombing campaign has its limits.
“We’re hitting some targets, but airstrikes alone are not going to win here. We’ve got to take that territory away from them.
“They’re still in Mosul, they’re still in Ramadi, they’re still in Raqqa, those are areas we have to go after in order to be able to defeat (ISIL), ultimately.”
That echoes some of Sajjan’s arguments. He said without training Iraqi troops to take and hold ground, the effect of the bombing is limited.
“Myself and the government feel we need to focus on the training,” he said. “If we do not get that piece right, is does not matter where one bomb drops.”